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ERIC Number: EJ1375289
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jan
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2167-3454
EISSN: N/A
Understanding Novice Special Education Teachers' and Paraeducators' Mentorship Relationships: A Comparative Case Study
Evashkovsky, Maya; Osipova, Anna V.
Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, v12 n1 Jan 2023
Novice special education teachers (SETs) often report on stress and burnout in their jobs, identifying collaboration with colleagues as a factor that supports them during the first years (Belknap & Taymans, 2015). While previous research focused on teachers' support from their mentor teachers, administrators, and colleagues, in this study we examined the mentorship relationship between SETs and their classroom paraeducators. We analyzed interviews of three novice SETs who taught in a large urban school district. All participants taught in Special Day Classrooms (SDC) and worked closely with paraeducators. The findings of this comparative case study suggest that these relationships are important for teachers' assimilation in the classroom. Results show the mentorship can be bidirectional, where experienced paraeducators support the novice teacher, or where teachers take an active role in mentoring their team. In addition, findings suggest that in the absence of any mentorship, the relationship with the paraeducators becomes a burden for novice teachers as they try to navigate their new roles and duties. The paper provides recommendations for practice and future research.
Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship. 2496 Prospect Drive, Upland, CA 91784. Tel: 909-985-8578; Fax: 909-985-8578; e-mail: snam@csusb.edu; Web site: http://www.josea.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A